MAIL-ORDER REFUGE - Cindy Regnier - One Free Book

Dear readers, I love mail-order-brides stories. I love Cindy’s story. She has several different twists to the story. I liked how she works those in. Her characters are living, breathing people who grabbed my heart and pulled it straight into the story. You won’t want to miss this one.

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

Without it being intentional, quite a bit of myself ends up in my characters. It’s much easier to give them thoughts, feelings, and emotions when I am experiencing the same thing.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I once went through an automatic car wash unable to get my window back up. Long story, but suffice it to say I was drenched by the time I made it to my next appointment. The interior of my car didn’t fare so well either. My three kids were with me. They loved it – as soon as it was over.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I think I’ve always known I was writer. I wrote stories in second grade, and by third grade, I was writing plays modeled after TV shows for my friends to perform in class. I wrote my first full length novel at about age 13. While other kids were playing sports, writing was what I loved to do.

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

My first choice is historical romance, but I’m not limited to that. I enjoy contemporary romance, cozy mysteries, and classics. I’ve even been known to pick up a Louis L’Amour western every now and then.

When I was lots younger, I read every Louis L’Amour book I could get my hands on. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Writing grounds me. I can pour all my stress out onto the page, transfer it to characters and then work it all out for them in the end.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I usually see their faces and just inherently know their names before I ever figure out what’s going to happen to them in the story. It’s almost like they’re already living inside my imagination. Their names even surprise me sometimes. If I ever change a name because it’s not working for some reason, that character lives on in my head with his or her original name, despite what they’re called in the book.

I’ve had to change a character’s name, because he kept calling himself by a different name. What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Raising my boys to be strong, competent men, but catching glimpses of a gentle, kind nature in them when it comes to relating to their ladies (or their mother.)

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

I always thought I’d like the life of a cat. Sleep all day, hide from humans except for when I wanted to be with them and show my contentment with purring.

What is your favorite food?

Mexican

My husband and I love TexMex, and eat it often. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

In real life I avoid conflict as much as I can. It’s also hard for me to put my characters through it, but a story without conflict isn’t a story. So I apologize to them (in my head of course,) then throw it at them knowing it’s all going to be okay in the end.

I had that same problem, because I’m naturally a peacemaker. Tell us about the featured book.

Mail-Order Refuge is my debut novel. It is the story of Carly who comes to Kansas as a mail-order bride to escape a dangerous situation back east. Rand, a Kansas rancher needs a wife to look after his recently orphaned nieces. Of course, the dangerous situation follows Carly and becomes even more convoluted when she meets Rand’s ex-fiancee who wants him back. Hint: This is a romance so HEA is a distinct possibility.

Yes, there was lots of conflict in this book. That’s one thing that kept me from putting it down as often as I should have. Please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.

“Tommy, wait!” Carly Blair screeched as she bounded off the depot platform after her brother.

Her shout was swallowed up by the shriek of the train whistle. She missed the last step and plunged face first into the dust of the small-town train station. A horse and cart rumbled past as a hand jerked her upright.

“Tommy.” She struggled to free herself from the grip on her wrist, searching the crowd frantically for her brother.

“Are you hurt?” The voice was deep, slightly raspy and, quite possibly, on the verge of laughter. When she still struggled, the man added, “The boy is safe, miss.”

Safe? Carly whirled around to see her little brother standing beside a stranger. Thank God. The man gripped Tommy in one hand and her in the other while her gaze traveled up, up, up. Blinking twice, she stared into a pair of pale blue eyes nearly hidden by shocks of chestnut hair beneath a wide-brimmed straw hat.

“I … I’m fine,” she managed, sucking in her breath. The handles of her satchel dug into her free hand. “Thank you.”

The man had saved Tommy from being trampled in the streets of this Kansas town, but why was he still gripping her wrist? Twisting from his hold, Carly searched the area for their trunks. Fear crawled up her throat. Oh, what had she done?

What you had to do.

I know that caught my reader’s attention. How can readers find you on the Internet?

https://cindyregnier.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CindyRegnierauthor/

https://twitter.com/CindySRegnier

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19069509.Cindy_Regnier

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cindy-regnier

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your debut novel with us.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Mail-Order Refuge - Paperback
Mail-Order Refuge - Kindle

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