DEEPLY DEVOTED - Maggie Brendan - Free Book

Welcome back, Maggie. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

I try to explore topics about learning to fully love, trust and have true acceptance of our fellow man using faith and our belief in the one who created us. I want my characters to show empathy and not be judgmental before they know the “whole story” as we so often do in real life. It’s much easier to write about the spiritual aspects than to live it out every day in the “real” world. It’s a struggle every day.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Deeply Devoted, book one in The Blue Willow Brides, just hit the bookstores last week. My next one in the series will be next fall and it’s temporarily titled, Three Little Words and the third one, Timeless Perfection. It’d be great if Revell would keep my titles, but I’ll know later. I was happy that they kept Deeply Devoted and The Jewel of His Heart.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

No one really comes to mind except Sam Elliot. I’ve long admired all the western roles he’s played through the years and actually modeled my character, Luke, in my first book, No Place for a Lady, after him. He’s got such an incredible speaking voice.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Mary the mother of Jesus! I’d like to pick her brain as to what it was like to be the Mother of God and what it was Jesus like raising him. Now that would be a story!

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Persevere, stay persistent, and don’t give up. Be ready to take good constructive criticism if a publisher gives you feedback after rejecting your manuscript. Part of being able to do handle rejection is to have a good critique partner or group. We’ve all been there. You’ll know you’re a writer when after a rejection, you say, “That’s it! I won’t write anymore,” in anger, then after you cool off and nurse your ego, guess what? You find yourself parked in front of your manuscript because you can’t not do it, if it’s your passion.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Blue Willow tea set, a tragic past, a worn letter, and devotion to her two younger sisters, is all that mail-order bride Catharine Olsen brings from Amsterdam to Cheyenne, WY to meet her future husband. Peter is a gentle, but hard-working wheat farmer, who doesn’t realize the extent his meddling mother will go to in order to discredit his bride after he decides not to marry the lady she chose for him. Will Catharine’s secret past threaten the idyllic life she has created with her new husband?

Please give us the first page of the book.

Cheyenne Territory, Wyoming
Spring 1887

Catharine Olsen sipped the last of her tea from the bottom of her cherished Blue Willow teacup, then carefully placed it on the saucer on the table next to her. She leaned back on the settee, shoving her curls away from her face, and slipped a letter out of her Bible. Though she knew the words by heart, she reread the letter, now worn and discolored from time.

Catharine,

It is hard for me to contain my joy that soon we shall meet and you will be my bride. I feel like I already know you well from our correspondence. I pray you will have safe travel on the Union Pacific. You should have a day to rest after the long, arduous journey. I will promptly call for you at the hotel the next day. Until then, I remain affectionately yours,

Peter Andersen

Had it been just yesterday when she stared from the train’s window at the prairie that seemed to stretch as far as her eye could see? The relentless wind whipped the unending gold-tipped grass, and there was not a tree in sight . . . just open fields with an occasional cabin dotting the landscape and perhaps deer or elk grazing in the distance. Peter had told her to keep a lookout for them, and maybe a herd of bison. She wondered how she would adjust to such surroundings after leaving her beloved Amsterdam with its lush meadows and myriad of tulips . . . and the memories, not all of them good. An image swam before her eyes, and her heart tightened. I can’t think about it today or I won’t be able to go on . . . What purpose could it possibly serve?

Would her heart ever heal? A single tear slid down her cheek, but she hastily swept it away before her sisters could see. She sighed and glanced over at them sitting with their heads together, reading a newspaper they’d picked up at the last stop. She prayed silently that all would work out as she hoped, but she knew from experience that only the Lord could see what was in store.

“Next stop, Cheyenne!” the conductor announced as he walked the aisle. He lifted his pocket watch from his waistcoat. “In about ten minutes.” Passengers began to gather their reading materials, satchels, and personal belongings in preparation for their arrival.

True to the conductor’s word, the train slowed its approach at the Union Pacific depot. Catharine decided that it was one of the most beautiful railroad depots she’d ever seen. The impressive structure looked fairly new with its multicolored sandstone, stone arches, and steeply pitched roofs that resembled a castle. Peter had written in his letters that the stone was quarried from west of Fort Collins, Colorado. Along the opposite side of the train, the rail yard was a profusion of trains narrowly wedged between one another, which could make disembarking dangerous.

Finally, with a squeal of metal on metal and a belch of steam, the engine halted, then passengers immediately scrambled to the exits, happy to have arrived in Cheyenne.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me on my website or blog and I’m a resident blogger on Bustles and Spurs.

www.MaggieBrendan.com

www.SouthernBelleWriter.com

www.BustlesAndSpurs.com

Thank you, Maggie, for the interesting peek into your life and story.


Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
 Deeply Devoted: A Novel (The Blue Willow Brides)


Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com