LOVE'S TWISTING TRAIL - Betty Woods - One Free Book

Dear Blog Readers, I’m thrilled to introduce this debut author to you today. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I mentored her with her writing. You are going to love the story in Love’s Twisting Trail.

Welcome, Betty. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters. Not a lot. Some of my characters’ experiences mirror mine. In Love’s Twisting Trail when Charlotte feels as if she’s stumbling by faith instead of walking by faith. I’ve had more than one time when I knew what God wanted me to do then started to doubt when the way got hard.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done? Trying to roller blade with my kids years ago when they were teenagers. I once told them I never intended to grow up, but I’m not coordinated enough for roller blades.

I’m sure I wasn’t either. When did you first discover that you were a writer? When I was a child. My first “book” was a story I wrote for a fourth grade project. I wrote the story from my dog’s point of view and let her tell what her life was like at our house. I got an A. My mother saved it, and I still have that first “book.”

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading. Romance, historical or contemporary, is my favorite genre. Mysteries are fun. I’ll read almost any well-written novel with a good story. I like biographies, books about actual historical events, old diaries and letters. Bookstores are my candy stores.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world? Going to lunch with my daughter or my critique partner. Taking trips in our RV. Whether we manage a weekend away or two weeks, we like to go to state parks or national parks. Enjoying the outdoors while hiking or bike riding is a great way to decompress. So is losing myself in a museum or other historical site. Whenever we can all manage it, our adult children go with us in their RV’s. Multigenerational trips with our kids, grandkids, and sometimes great-grands are one of my favorite things to do.

How do you choose your characters’ names? They have to suit my characters or work to enhance the story. I chose Charlotte’s name because I could easily give her a male nickname. Her brother, Toby, named himself. It sounds crazy, but it’s a writer’s thing. My characters talk to me.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of? Having my book published! My dream come true. It’s been a ten-year journey honing my writing skills, signing with an agent, and submitting manuscripts to publishers.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why? My Chihuahua. She’s sweet-natured, cuddly, and loves almost everyone. Plus, she leads a very pampered life.

What is your favorite food? Any kind of Mexican or Tex Mex. If it’s hot and spicy, that’s wonderful. One friend says I have a cast iron stomach.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it? Overcoming writer’s block. That is not knowing what to write next while staring at a computer screen. It’s almost like running into a literal road block that keeps you from going where you want to go. Stepping away for a while and praying for ideas works best.

Tell us about the featured book. Charlotte Grimes promised her dying father she’ll save their family’s ranch. She disguises herself as a fourteen-year-old boy to go up the trail from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, with the brother she can’t trust. But choosing between keeping her promise or being with the man she loves may put her heart in more danger than any hazards on the trail.

Please give us the first page of the book for my blog readers.

1869 Outside San Antonio, Texas

Charlotte Grimes slid her cleaned revolver into the holster lying on the kitchen table, determined to keep her promise to Pa. She had hoped and prayed four-legged varmints or snakes were the only reasons to need a gun, but from what she’d overheard from others, a body had best be prepared for meeting anything or anyone on a cattle drive. Especially a woman intending to go up the trail disguised as a fourteen-year-old boy.

Slinging her gun belt over her shoulder, she grabbed her tied bedroll off the chair. Toby should be back from town soon, so she needed to sneak her things into the barn before her brother returned. So far, God hadn’t given her any idea how to tell Toby she’d be going with him no matter how much he didn’t want her along.

A welcome spring breeze brushed her cheeks while a mockingbird sang nearby. How could everything around here be the same when her world had turned so topsy turvy? If only Pa hadn’t died. If only she could trust her brother again. If only …

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Facebook: bettywoodsbooks  Twitter: bettywoodswrite

My website: http://www.bettywoodsbooks.com

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Love%27s+Twisting+Trail&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss

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