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Thursday, September 05, 2019

CHRISTMAS NEXT DOOR - Vickie McDonough - One Free Book

Welcome back, Vickie. How did your story for the collection come about?
I co-authored Christmas Next Door with Susan Page Davis. The original concept for the book was her idea. We tweaked it a little by adding the mystery element. I came up with my own novella ideas though.

Are these stories connected in some way?
Yes, quite a bit. All four novellas are set in the same small Texas town. You’ll see repeating characters from story to story, and there is a repeating mystery that happens each Christmas.

What are you reading right now?
The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

How many other books have you had published?
50

Me, too. My last book that released was in November, and it was number 50. What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a collection?
It’s definitely coordinating things. Characters have to act and look the same in my stories and Susan’s. We had a town map and a guide, which helped us keep everything straight. If we added a new character or big event, we had to make sure to tell one another. I will say it was much easier to coordinate this story with Susan than it was others I’ve done where there are 4 – 7 authors.

How did collaborating with this team impact you?
Not much. Susan and I are good friends, so it was pretty painless. It was fun working so closely together on this collection.

What did you want the reader to take away from your story?
First off, I hope the reader is entertained and is able to escape his/her normal life for a few hours. Also, I hope the faith message is inspiring.

Please give us a peek into your story. Well, I had two stories.
The Marshal Next Door is about the town marshal, who is raising his identical twin sisters after their parents died in an accident. The twins are almost fifteen and wanting to step out with a couple of boys. Justin, my hero, chases the fellows away with his rifle. Things go missing in town, and fingers are pointed at the twins. Justin solicits help from his pretty neighbor, who keeps the girls occupied by helping them improve their sewing and cooking skills. Justin is attracted to his neighbor, but he doesn’t have time to woo her. He must get to the root of the thefts, even if it means arresting his own sisters.

The Outlaw Next Door is the story of a man with a past. Dane runs the town livery he inherited from his mentor. Regina, the town preacher’s only daughter, rents a buggy from him several times a week to go on visitations with her mother. Dane is attracted to sweet and pretty Regina, but he knows there’s little hope a good woman like her would be interested in a man with a shady past. When outlaws capture Regina, Dane fears for her life. He must help her, even if it means revealing his past to her father and the marshal.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an author?
I guess it would have to be to just keep writing. At one of the first conferences I attended, a speaker passed around a tin of buttons and told us each to take one. She said they were the key to writing. At the end of the class, she told us to keep the button near our computers as a reminder to keep your “butt on” the chair and to keep writing, because a writer writes.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
Heroes, Heroines, and History blog: http://HHHistory.com

Thanks so much, Lena, for letting me share about my newest release!

It’s always fun to host you here on my blog. And since both you and Susan Page Davis are good friends of mine, I’m glad to do this book.

Readers, here are links to the book.
Christmas Next Door - Christianbook.com
Christmas Next Door: 4 Stories of Love Found Close to Home - Amazon Paperbook
Christmas Next Door: 4 Stories of Love Found Close to Home - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (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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17 comments:

  1. CHRISTMAS NEXT DOOR by Vickie McDonough sounds wonderful.Pa. I love reading your books.Have a good weekend.Thank you for the opportunity to win.

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  2. Thank you, Emma! This was a fun collection to write.

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  3. Anonymous11:45 PM

    Christmas Next Door sounds like a fantastic book to read. I have read some of your books in the past and they were fabulous books and I enjoyed reading them.Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your giveaway.
    Barbara Thompson
    barbmaci61@yahoo.com

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  4. Thanks for the chance to win this great-sounding book!
    Mindy from NJ

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  5. Marshall Justin sure has his hands full. :)
    Rooting for Dane.
    Thanks for sharing with us!

    Robin in Raleigh, NC

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  6. Looking forward to reading this, thank you for the chance to win a copy.

    Wendy in Nebraska

    wfnren at aol dot com

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  7. Thank you for the great interview with Vickie McDonough and for telling us more about CHRISTMAS NEXT DOOR. Can't wait for the opportunity to read it. It's definitely a book that I would enjoy reading.

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy!
    Kay Garrett from Mountain View, AR
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  8. I love Christmas books. I just read my first one the other day for this year. Thank you from WV.

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  9. Thanks, everybody, for your sweet compliments. This is a fun book, and I think you'll enjoy it.

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  10. I like the new format for the novella collections. These sound like great stories! . Thanks for the interview. I’m Paula from Missouri
    paulams49ATsbcglobalDOTnet

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  11. Can't wait to read this!
    Abigail in VA

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  12. I can’t wait to read this. I love Christmas books and I love storylines set in the great State of Texas. I am from Kaufman Texas just outside of Dallas. ❤️

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  13. This collection sounds wonderful!
    Melanie Backus, TX

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  14. Sounds like the new books are as fun and exciting as others I have read, by Vicki McDonough. She is one of my favorite authors!

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  15. I enjoy Vicki's books. Christmas Next Door looks very good!
    Beth from Iowa

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  16. Sounds great!
    Jacinta from VA

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  17. Sharon Bryant9:24 PM

    Enter me in your awesome giveaway!!
    Conway SC.

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