GONE TO TEXAS - Caryl McAdoo - One Free Book

Dear Readers, this blog and the next 8 will feature each of the books in this new collection. 

Bio: Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory which is what she lives to do, and her novels’ rankings by Christian readers attests to the Father’s favor and blessings. With thirty-six titles, she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs He gives her—look on YouTube to hear a few. She and her high school sweetheart celebrated fifty years of marriage in June; they share four children and eighteen grandsugars. Ron and Caryl live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

Welcome back, Caryl. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I write a WHOLE LOT of myself into my heroines. Since my husband Ron and I write together (even though only my name is on the books—that was a NY agent and Simon and Schuster editor thing), it’s like most the time, I’m the heroine and he’s the hero. The other day I was writing along and actually used his name! The female character was saying something like “And you full well know it, hero . . . except I typed in “And you full well know it, Ron McAdoo!” I started cackling at the computer and he said, “What are you laughing about?” 

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Quirky, huh? I’m going to have to think on this . . .

When did you first discover that you were a writer?
I wrote an essay in the 7th grade about being an intergalactically famous author, rocketing from planet to planet to sign books! It was a 1962 assignment about what I’d be doing in the year 2000. The space program let me down. What can I say?

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

I love reading historical Christian romance, but when writing three to five or six books a year—which I’ve done the last several years, releasing 27 since fall, 2014—it’s just hard to read any at all.

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

Oh, this is an easy question. Giving all my burdens to my Heavenly Father, trusting Him with everything, and clinging to Him. I daily walk in peace with no fear or worries because I know how much He loves me and that He’s always thinking of me! (That’s a line from one of the new songs He gave me. I sing them on YouTube)

How do you choose your characters’ names?

Isn’t that just one of the most fun things we get to do? Ron and I just kick them around until we find the one we both like! After thirty-seven titles, it isn’t always that easy, but eventually we get the job done! I had a herd of eighty dwarf Nigerian goats (I milked them—only twelve or thirteen at a time) and named everyone and knew each by name. I believe names are VERY important, and help “make” the character who they are. Ron and I had a stable and some of our boarders brought in horses named Buck! WHO names a horse that? And this one escape artist we had . . . her name was Gypsy! My name means Joyful Song. Seems appropriate to me.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

 Rearing four grandsons. When we were fifty-two, it was us or strangers when CPS got involved, so we took in six, four, and three-year-old, and a newborn (straight to us from the birth hospital). We thought it would be a good, temporary thing, motivating the parents to clean up and make better life choices to get their children back, but they saw the boys had a good, loving, stable home and became the frequent visitors with gifts in hand for their sons instead. We had them fourteen years. The oldest is a senior at Texas A and M who graduates in December.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I’ve always said if I wasn’t a human, I’d want to be a bird. I love flying high and singing.

What is your favorite food?

Tacos! When I get to Heaven, I fully expect I’ll have a taco tree in my front yard. I’ll give you an invitation now to come by anytime and have one with me. My mansion is the one with the oversized emerald door.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Figuring out Point of View! It seemed so hard, but I believe is the difference between a great writer and a mediocre one. POV is why my readers tell me they feel as though they are right there with my characters and feel like my people are real friends. One told me she caught herself praying for one of my characters! What a GREAT compliment!

Tell us about the featured book.

GONE TO TEXAS is a very special story in my humble opinion! It’s not only Book One in the awesome Thanksgiving Books and Blessings Collection—which I am SO EXCITED about—but it’s also Book One in my all-new Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga. Three families—close knit by blood and friendship—choose to leave Tennessee and sojourn to the new Republic of Texas, putting everything they own on the line. But Texas was handing out headrights in 1840— free land for settlers! One other fractured family joins them before they leave, so seventeen souls embark on the journey fraught with hardship, danger, and loss.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Dickson County, ten miles south of Charlotte, Tennessee

August 1st, 1840

Alisha's father shook the reins over the mule's back. “Hey, now.” Like the good boys they were, the matched pair leaned into their collars. Trace chains jangled, and leather creaked as the wagon's wheels turned. “Watch your brother, sweetheart!” Her mother turned and looked back over her shoulder. “And help Esther with the little ones.”

For what? The tenth time she'd told her that morning?

“Yes, ma'am. I will!” She gave her an exaggerated wave from the porch. Mercy, after seventeen years, she'd think her ma could trust her to be responsible and remember what she'd asked of her. Watching until the rig crossed the creek, she looked toward the sky and sighed. “Oh Lord, what am I going to do?”

The sound of the big hammer banging on the anvil pulled her eyes to the shop shed. Flynn raised the sledge again then brought it down with another boom. “Please, Father God, let us stay. Don't take him away.”

A tug on her shirt pulled her around.

“Lesha, I'm powerful hungry.”

“Mercy, boy! You just had eggs and cornbread. Did you drink all your milk?”

“Yep.” Her brother wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

“Does it break your jaw to say ma'am, Aaron Edmond Van Zandt?”

The six-year-old grinned. “Nope.”

“You better watch it.”

“Yes, maaa'am.” He puffed his chest up, sucked in his poor starving tummy, and grinned even bigger. “Can I eat Arlee's cornbread slab with some honey?”

“No, sir, you certainly may not. You know the rules. If she doesn't clean her plate this meal, she can the next.”

“But she hates cornpone, and I love it! And I'm powerful hungry.” His brows furrowed. He crossed his arms over his chest and stomped his foot. The porch's floorboards rattled.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Author Pages:

     Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Caryl-McAdoo/e/B00E963CFG

     BookBub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/caryl-mcadoo

     Simon & Schuster - http://tinyurl.com/S-SCarylsPage

     BookGorilla - http://www.bookgorilla.com/author/B00E963CFG/caryl-mcadoo
     Southern Writers Magazine - http://authors.southernwritersmagazine.com/caryl-mcadoo.html

     Sweet Americana Sweethearts - bit.ly/2q0tcfFbit.ly 

Website: http://www.CarylMcAdoo.com  (All First Chapters offered here)

Newsletter: http://carylmcadoo.com/sign-up-to-the-caryler/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_1hQx6UZbWi3OYwmKKxh6Q  

                            (Hear Caryl sing her New Songs!)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarylMcAdoo.author

Blogs:  

    The Word & the Music http://carylmcadoo.com/blog/

    HeartWings (Devotional) - http://www.HeartWingsBlog.com

    Sweet Americana Sweethearts (Historical) -  

             http://www.SweetAmericanaSweethearts.blogspot.com

GoodReads:  http://tinyurl.com/GoodReadsCaryl

Google+: http://tinyurl.com/CarylsGooglePlus

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryl-mcadoo-00562323

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CarylMcAdoo

 Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/CarylMcAdoo

 Puzzle: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3c14f1bbad62

Thank you, Caryl, for sharing this new book with me and my blog readers. I’m eager to read it.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Gone to Texas: Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga, book one (Thanksgiving Books & Blessings Collection One 1)

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