REMEMBER TEXAS - Laura Conner Kestner - One Free Book

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

Not much. I want my characters to be more interesting than I am.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I drove down the highway with a life-size cowboy mannequin (complete with Stetson and boots) strapped into the passenger seat beside me. I bought him from a resale shop after the store owner rescued him from a museum that was closing. I named him Chuck. He sits in my office now and watches me write.

How fun. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Around the time I read my first Nancy Drew book. Also, my family subscribed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and I read it every day. I began creating my own newspapers (with the help of my siblings) which included advice columns, weather reports, comics, and even sports. Years later, I would go on to write for several (small town) newspapers. Writing has just always been a part of my life.

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

I love suspense, cozy mysteries, historicals, contemporary romance…well, you get the picture. I just love to read.

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

Prayer, regular church attendance, and spending time with my family.

           

That’s three of my favorite things, too. How do you choose your characters’ names?

For contemporary, I use whatever catches my eye—could be from a news story or even a Facebook post. For historicals, I’ve used names from my ancestors, as well as old news articles and historical documents.

 

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Right now, I’m still a bit over the moon about seeing Remember Texas in print.

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

A rubber chicken. Because I like to laugh.

That’s a good one. What is your favorite food?

It’s a toss-up between enchiladas and pizza.

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

My short attention span—and I haven’t really overcome it yet. Sometimes I write for twenty minutes, then do some research, then write again, then wash dishes, and then back to writing.

Sounds like a good plan to me. Tell us about the featured book.

Abigail Horton’s life is turned upside down during the last night of a week-long revival when her father—believed dead—shows up in the custody of a Texas Ranger. Abby is thrilled to see him, and equally devastated to learn he’s been living the life of an outlaw. Texas Ranger Caleb Calhoun stops in Moccasin Rock to let his prisoner, Bob Horton, visit briefly with family before transporting him to Austin for trial. Caleb takes a room at the family’s boarding house, planning to be in and out of the small town by morning. But within hours he’s kissed Abby Horton, made an enemy of her naïve suitor, and let his prisoner escape. 

As Caleb searches for the missing outlaw, and Abby struggles to keep the man’s whereabouts a secret, they also battle a growing attraction to each other.

Throw in a Calhoun family mystery, an elderly preacher on a mission, an old flame of Caleb’s, a secretive spinster, a team of surveyors, and Abby’s mother and brother—and you have a compelling story of faith, family and forgiveness.

I can hardly wait to read it. Please give us the first page of the book.

Moccasin Rock, Texas

July 1891

Abigail Horton sighed as her younger brother Robby eased the sleeve of his best shirt up over his wrist and deliberately scratched at a scabbed-over chigger bite until it bled.

“That’s not going to help you at all,” she whispered.

He glanced at her, shrugged, then let his arm drop and waited for the blood to run down onto his hand.

Abby understood her brother’s frustration. She wasn’t desperate enough to start clawing at her own skin yet, but she was more than ready to go home. They’d been sitting in this tabernacle for almost two hours now, and Reverend Wainright was still going strong.

 Robby gave her a smug little grin when the trickle of blood finally touched his fingers. He replaced the grin with a frown, then reached around Abby and tugged their mother’s arm.

Mama, who’d started the evening freshly starched, was now wilting in the heat and not in the best of humor. She glanced his way, narrowed her eyes, and returned her attention to the pulpit.

  

Abby bit back a smile, then withdrew a linen handkerchief from the pocket of her calico dress and passed it to her brother. His shoulders sagged and his lower lip thrust out in a pout as he made a half-hearted swipe at his hand. Even though Abby was twenty-two and Robby only eleven, he resented her attempts at mothering. But Mama had more than enough to deal with. Abby tried to help as much as she could, whether her brother liked it or not.

Robby offered her the hanky when done. Abby waved it away. He shoved it into his own pocket and laid his head back against the pew with a sigh loud enough to earn him a sharp look of rebuke from Mama. No one else in the congregation seemed to notice. All eyes were on Hamilton Wainright, the legendary traveling evangelist.

 

How can readers find you on the Internet?

On my website: lauraconnerkestner.com   

On Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lauraconnerkestner/

On Twitter: @LauraConnerKest

Thank you, Laura, for sharing your book with my blog readers and me. I love historicals set in that time period, and I love books set in Texas.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Remember Texas - Paperback
Remember Texas - Kindle

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