THE CALLING OF ELLA MCFARLAND - Linda Brooks Davis - One Free Book

Dear Readers, I was privileged to read this book for endorsement, and I loved it. The characters, the historical accuracy, the storyline. I think you’ll love it, too.

Welcome, Linda. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

I don’t consciously write myself into my characters. I often ask myself if a character’s words or actions are his/hers or mine. I refer to the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory when I develop the characters and try to stay true to their unique traits.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I love quirky people. I admire and enjoy them, but I don’t think of myself as one of them—unless you count the time I showed a quirky level of naiveté. I actually believed and prepared for a protest when a friend reported that a mutual friend—an American citizen, mind you, who was living and going to school in Abilene, Texas—had been drafted into the French Foreign Legion.

I. Kid. You. Not. Once upon a time my middle name was naive.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Unlike others who can point to writing as their calling from an early age—some even to early school years—I  didn’t realize I was a writer until I was in high school. Even for dry, boring assignments in government/civics, sitting down to a typewriter (manual in those days) and allowing my thoughts and emotions to bubble up in the form of words was a delightful experience that peaked during my first year away from home as a college freshman. I simply loved sitting in my quiet dorm room and writing letters home. As I told Mother and Daddy every move I made, I imagined their rapt attention and enjoyment, which is my experience when I write today.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I love a good story, whether historical, romance, or suspense involving legal or international conflict. I became an avid reader in fourth grade. I have those Weekly Reader books to this day. As I peruse them, I’m surprised that I chose stories in which the main character was a boy, maybe because in those days it was the boys who were out getting into trouble and having adventures, as in The Red Badge of Courage and, several years later, Where the Red Fern Grows. And yet, I can remember as a girl lying across my bed, book on floor, reading Christy, Anne of Green Gables, and later on, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I still enjoy meaty, brave stories that tackle hard issues head-on.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I’ve found if I don’t start my day well, I don’t end it well. For me, that means sitting at my bedroom bay window with a cup of coffee, open Bible, and prayer journal. If I begin in this way, the insanity of any day seems to even out or I remain calmer in the turmoil. Invariably, when I find myself part of the turmoil, I realize I’ve neglected the bay window.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Because I write historical fiction, I choose names that fit the time period, but even then characters earn their names. Noble heroes and lovely, courageous heroines wear names that have a noble, lovely, or courageous ring to them. Sometimes they’re the names of my cherished ancestors. Antagonists’ names can just sound unpleasant or remind me of a distasteful person in my past. My favorites are names are those I have no connection with at all. I can give a low-down reprobate such a name without worrying I’ve offended someone I know.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Far and above, my proudest accomplishment is rearing my fantastic children—a son and daughter, veterinarians who actually like one another so well they are in practice together. I can’t take credit for my six beautiful grandchildren, so I’d say professionally I’m most proud of winning the 2014 Jerry B. Jenkins Operation First Novel Award.

That’s a wonderful writing achievement. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I’ve learned in recent years that I’m an introvert. This surprised me at first, but I’ve come to accept it as the way God made me. One personality inventory tags me as a desert animal I’ve never heard of, the meerkat—ethical, idealistic, loyal, values oriented, and curious but inflamed by threats to the security of my babies or morals. Sounds fairly quirky to me.

I would have said I’m most like a deer. Not at all quirky.

What is your favorite food?

Mexican, hands down!

James and I had delicious Tex-Mex food for lunch today. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Working through the discouragement or fear of rejection has been my biggest challenge but the one that provides the greatest reward on the other side. Only through confidence that the Lord has called me to be a writer can I overcome this roadblock.

Tell us about the featured book.

Set in 1905 Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood when the temperance and woman’s suffrage debates are raging, The Calling of Ella McFarland is the story of a young woman on the verge of reaching her lifelong dream—a teaching position at prestigious Worthington School for Girls—but whose sister’s unwed motherhood has created a scandal that clouds her family name and may limit her to a life of grueling farm labor. One strikingly handsome board member shows Ella kindness, but will the other two men overlook her family’s disgrace?

When she comes to the rescue of a young sharecropper’s daughter, she’s thrust into a domestic abuse situation that opens her eyes to the ramifications of women being denied a voice in their governance through the vote. Forced to make decisions about her faith, family, and aspirations, independent-spirited Ella finds a calling taking shape in ways she never imagined and a new love budding in her heart.

How will she manage in her male-dominated world to give voice to the voiceless without losing her own? Can she find God’s will amid the tumultuous storm that surrounds her? Or will fear and pride have their way?

Ella McFarland must decide.

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Ella had aimed for this day all her life.

           

Perching on the edge of the tufted chair, she slipped off her gloves. A corset stave bit into her flesh, but she held herself erect. Such was expected of a teacher candidate at Oklahoma Territory’s Worthington School for Girls.

           

“Miss McFarland.” Stationed at the head of the library table, Mr. Abernathy gestured to a colleague on either side.  “As the board of directors, we must emphasize that female teachers who marry are dismissed.” The man’s tone had turned as severe as his starched collar. “Unlike for men, marriage divides women’s loyalties.”

           

Women more prone to divided loyalties than men? Ella suppressed an urge to spout the challenge. A Worthington teacher knew her place. “Rest assured, sir, I am wedded to teaching.”

           

Perspiration dribbled down her spine. Was 1905 the hottest year on record? Plucking a handkerchief from a sleeve, she dabbed moisture from the cleft in her chin and pressed it to her nose. The library’s musty tomes and velvet window coverings tickled her nostrils and devoured the oxygen.

           

The man stifled a cough with a fist. “Your loyalty notwithstanding . . .”

           

She willed herself to relax. Had the Lord Himself not brought her to this premier institution of learning for the socially elite?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www. lindabrooksdavis.com   

Facebook: Linda Brooks Davis, Author https://www.facebook.com/Linda-Brooks-Davis-945490792152157
Twitter: @LBrooksDavis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/linda-brooks-davis/67/245/904
Publisher: Mountainview Books

When The Calling of Ella McFarland debuts on December 1, it will be available to order both in print and ebook forms through bookstores and online outlets—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google, Christianbook.com, etc.

Thank you, Linda, for sharing this book with my readers. I know they are eager to read it.

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