THE MAIL-ORDER STANDOFF - Margaret Brownley, Angela Breidenbach, Susan Page Davis, and Vickie McDonough - One Free Book

Bio: Margaret Brownley is a N.Y. Times bestselling author with nearly fifty books to her credit. She writes historical romances set in the Old West. A two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of American RITA award, she has written for a CBS soap and her next book, The Outlaw’s Daughter will be published in May.  Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English.  Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.

Attorney Ben didn’t expect to get shot on his wedding day--and certainly not by his mail order bride.—Pistol-Packin’ Bride/Mail Order Standoff collection.

Welcome, Margaret. How did your story for the collection come about?

My story was inspired by a Mark Twain quote: “Adam was the luckiest man in the world.  He had no mother-in-law.”

 

Ben Heywood had been left on the church step as an infant and was adopted by three sets of parents. The poor bride-to-be has to contend with three mothers-in-laws; three interfering mothers-in-law.

Are these stories connected in some way? If so, how?

With dozens of mail order bride stories being published each year, it’s hard to think up a new twist.  But Vickie McDonough managed to do just that by coming up with the idea of giving our brides cold feet. 

How many other books have you had published?

I’ve been very blessed as a writer and have managed to publish 48 books so far.

What is the hardest thing about writing a part of a collection?

I always worry that my story won’t be on par with the other stories, and I’ll be the weak link in the collection.   

I understand that feeling, but when we get them all together, they are all good. How did collaborating with this team impact you?

I was honored when asked to join the team.  It was a pleasure working with such a talented group of authors, and it was fun to see the clever way each writer developed the cold-feet theme.

Please give us a peek into your story.

Prickly Pear, Texas

Elizabeth Colton stares anxiously out the window of the stagecoach.  Fresh from Boston, never could she have imagined a more desolate place. Every scary story ever heard about attacking Indians and highwaymen comes back to haunt her.

           

Before they reach town, her worst fear is realized. A horseman flags them down and yanks open the door to the coach.  Certain he is about to rob her—or worse—she pulls out her derringer.  Much to her shock, the gun goes off and the man falls to the ground.

           

Attorney Ben Heywood is lucky to be alive.  Fortunately, the bullet missed his heart—barely. All he’d done was stop the stage to tell Elizabeth that unbeknownst to him, his mothers (yes, all three of them) had placed the ad in the Matrimonial News and he has no intention of marrying her.      

           

It seems everyone in the small town has an opinion on the brash young woman who traveled west and shot the town’s favorite son. Now they refuse to believe the pistol packin’ bride is the right woman for him. At first, even Ben has trouble visualizing the two of them wed.

           

But in matters of the heart sometimes a wrong really does make a right, and Ben suddenly finds himself defending the blue-eyed beauty, and slowly falls in love with her.  Now he doesn’t know which task will be hardest; convincing his reluctant fiancée that marriage to a man with three sets of interfering…uh… well-meaning “parents” won’t be so bad (maybe).  Or proving to the town that Elizabeth really is the girl of his dreams. 

What did you want the reader to take away from your story?

I hope to show that there’s value and love to be found in even the most difficult of families.  Ben’s three sets of interfering parents aren’t going to change; what changes is the way Elizabeth comes to accept them as family.

What is the best piece of advice you received as an author?

I think the best advice I received was to give the reader something to “see” in each sentence.  That’s what I try to do. 

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

Website: margaret-brownley.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/margaretbrownly

Book links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Standoff-Historical-Stories-ebook/dp/B081G73XRM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

B and N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mail-order-standoff-angela-breidenbach/1136319116?ean=9781643522449#/

Thank you, Margaret, for helping us share this delightful collection. I’m eager to read all 4 stories.

Readers, 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.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com