FIRED UP - Mary Connealy - One Free Book on This Blog, Plus Much More

Readers, I love having my friend Mary Connealy on the blog. And we both just got home a week ago from attending the American Christian Fiction Writers national conference in Indianapolis. I got to visit with Mary and her cowboy husband. That was a special treat.

I've read Fired Up, and it's a wonderful, funny read. I highly recommend it.

Bio: Mary Connealy writes fun and lively "romantic comedy with cowboys" for the inspirational market. She is the author of the successful Kincaid Brides, Lassoed in Texas, Montana Marriages, and Sophie's Daughters series, and she has been a finalist for a Rita and Christy Award and a two time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her husband, Ivan, and has four grown daughters.

Welcome, Mary. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I’m a rural Nebraska girl born and raised. I live ten miles from the house I grew up in. I married my high school sweetheart. I lived in a small country farm/ranch house for the first twelve years of my marriage. Then we (my husband, four daughters and I) bought a house with the exact same floor plan as the house we were living in (built by brothers 90 years ago) and moved a quarter mile down the hill. We have lived there now for 22 years. By the way, Lena … that is NOT as exciting as it sounds, so try and remain calm.

                                                                                                                                               

How did you become interested in writing?

You know, I ask myself that question a lot, Lena. Only what I wonder is, “What were you thinking?” I guess I kind of know what made me write “…It was a dark and stormy night…” for the first time. I had a friend who was writing a book. My ten-year-old daughter wrote a really short book I thought was really good, and I asked if I could take it and lengthen it. She said, “Write your own book and leave mine alone.” The combination started me off, well, the combination of that, my baby going to kindergarten and taking with her my last excuse for not having time to clean the house. But in the end, whatever made me START, the truth is, I liked it. It suited me. It was fun, and once I started I didn’t want to stop.                                                                      

                                                                                               

What compelled you to write a book on this subject?

I am married to my very own romance cowboy hero, and I’ve always lived in the country. I think I bring a lot of authenticity to my books. Also, I’ve watched every John Wayne movie ever made … ten times. Let’s face it, that makes me an expert on cowboys.

                                                                                                                                               

What is the main theme or point that you want readers to understand from reading your book? Are there any other themes present in the book? 

The real “Trouble in Texas” in Fired Up is Glynna’s son. He can’t forgive the men who hurt his mother, and he is carrying around this burden of anger and hate and it spills over to everyone in his life. Paul has to forgive. When Dare tells him this, Paul asks, “How do you forgive a man who, if you said the words, ‘I forgive you’ to him, he’d spit in your face?” And who can no more be trusted after forgiveness than before. I think that’s a question a lot of us ask.

                                               

Are there some specific lessons you hope readers will learn and apply to their lives after reading your book?

Oh, not really. If anyone learns anything from me, it’ll probably be by accident. I just hope they have fun reading my book.

What makes your book different than any other books similar to yours that are in circulation today?  

Well, gosh, Lena, I think I invented my own genre for the exact reason—so no one’s books are similar. Inspirational, suspenseful, historical-western romantic-comedy. Just writing down the whole genre is almost book length!                    

                                                                                                                                   

How does the book intertwine with God’s call on your life and how you are currently serving Him?

I love to write, and I refuse to write something I will then show to the whole world that is in opposition to the way I believe and the standards I try to teach my children. How could I do that? All those years I was writing while my children were growing up, I just couldn’t find any honor in saying one thing to my four daughters and typing something else into a document I hoped to sell and spread all over—that seems crazy to me.

I so agree with you. Do you have a favorite Scripture verse?

Yes, but different ones become my favorites depending on where I’m reading in the Bible and where I am in life. In Fired Up, when Dare is talking to about forgiveness (with Paul listening in) he tells someone (wow, I can’t say much without giving a lot away) that Jesus asked God to forgive the men who were crucifying him. And this someone says something like “God couldn’t have loved his son very much if he forgave such a thing.” And Dare references Matthew 27, the part right after Jesus died: “there was an earthquake, and rocks split and graves opened; and dead men arose and appeared unto many.” Then Dare says, “I reckon God was mighty upset to do all that, but He forgave them anyway.” So I’ve been remembering that when I think I’ve got a lot to forgive, just how enraged God was and how heartbroken and how forgiving.

Mary, that’s a profound statement. When you are not writing, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies?

Well, I read mainly (I know, sedentary! Like it’d kill me to take a walk once in a while), and I’ve got two spectacular grandchildren. They are the most beautiful grandchildren ever born. That’s not prejudice. It’s just fact. That they are mine is just one of those wonderful strokes of good luck. My family has a boat and we go boating on the Missouri River, and I love that mainly because my daughter comes up a lot, and I love spending time with them. We bought the boat as bait to lure them home, and they’ve all totally fallen for it.                                                                                                                                                                        

As we close, is there anything else you would like to add?

I always love being on your blog, Lena. Thanks for having me! 

And I always love to hear your answers. Tell us about the book.

Dare Riker is a doctor who saves lives, but someone seems determined to end his. It may have something to do with the traitors he dealt with during the Civil War, or it might be related to the recent incident with Flint Greer and the ranch. Whoever the culprit is, he or she seems really fired up, and Dare can't let his guard down for a moment, which is a challenge, since right now he's trying to win the heart of the recently widowed Glynna.

Glynna Greer came west as a mail-order bride and ended up in a bad situation. Now her husband, Flint, is dead, and she's determined to care for her son and daughter on her own. She wants to believe Dare Riker is as decent as he seems, but she's terrified to lock herself into another marriage. She plans to support her small family by opening a diner—never mind that cooking is not her greatest talent. The men in Broken Wheel, Texas, are so desperate for home cooking that they seem willing to overlook dried-out beef and blackened biscuits.

Glynna can't help but notice that danger follows Dare wherever he goes. There's the avalanche. And then the fire. But things really get out of hand when someone plunges a knife from Glynna's diner into Dare's back. Are Flint's cronies still plotting revenge? Is Glynna's son engaged in a misguided attempt to protect his mother? Is a shadowy outsider still enraged over past injustices? And can Dare survive long enough to convince Glynna to take another chance on love?

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Find me online:

Seekerville
Petticoats and Pistols
My Blog
My Website
My Newsletter

And I’m on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryconnealy

And Twitter: http://twitter.com/maryconnealy

Mary Connealy is back with the second book, Fired Up, in her Trouble in Texas series, and she's celebrating with a Kindle Fire giveaway and a LIVE author chat party on October 8th.

  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD
• Swept Away  and Fired Up by Mary Connealy

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 8th. Winner will be announced at the "Fired Up" Live Webcast Event on October 8th. Connect with Mary for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Mary will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of Fired Up and join Mary and friends on the evening of October 8th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 8th!

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Fired Up - Christianbook.com
Fired Up (Trouble in Texas) - Amazon.com
Fired Up (Trouble in Texas Book #2) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book on this blog. 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.

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