Bio: MARY DAVIS is a bestselling, award-winning novelist of
over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles
include; “Holly and Ivy” in A
Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting
Her Amish Heart (March), The
Widow’s Plight (July), Courting
Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The
MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting
Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The
Daughter's Predicament (May) and “Bygones” in Thimbles
and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and an active critique group
member.
Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest
with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult
children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren.
Welcome back, Mary. Why
do you write the kind of books you do?
I write Christian romance because that’s what I most like to
read. It’s what speaks to my heart and soul. The Lord has infinite ways to
touch our hearts and souls, mine is romance. I write both historical and
contemporary romance and some mystery romance.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
The day my first child was born. I had always wanted to be a
mother, and I’d had a miscarriage before him, so he made me a mommy. Now he has
given me two adorable granddaughters.
Grandchildren are
fun, aren’t they? So are great-grandchildren. How has being published changed
your life?
It gave me a validation that this was indeed what the Lord
called me to do and not just selfish musings.
As writers, we all
need that validation. What are you reading right now?
I’m reading two past novella collections I’m in. I didn’t
have time when they came out to read the other authors’ stories in them and am
enjoying them. One is The MissAdventure
Brides Collection and the other
is The American Heiress Brides Collection.
I’m also reading A Grace Disguised by
Jerry Sittser, a book about dealing with loss.
What is your current
work in progress?
I’m writing book 3 in my Quilting Circle
What would be your
dream vacation?
Lately, I’ve been dreaming of taking my adult children,
their spouses, and my grandchildren to Disneyland .
I went there as a child and then again for my honeymoon. I want to go back.
There are many other places I dream of going, but right now, as silly as it may
sound, Disneyland is at the top of my list. What
better place than a land based on make-believe for an author who makes up
stories?
You’re right about
that. How do you choose your setting for each book?
Each book is different. It really depends on the story and
what setting it needs. If I can, I try to set stories in my home state of Washington Washington
State
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
My granddaughter Katie. She just turned one, and I haven’t
even met her in person yet. Over the computer just isn’t the same. I’m dying to
hold her.
My youngest great-granddaughter
turned one this month. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I love doing various crafts; quilting, sewing, porcelain
doll making, crocheting, knitting, and I’m eager to try my hand at making junk
journals.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Spelling! I can’t spell my way out of a wet paper bag to
save my life. One of these days, SpellChecker is going to quit telling me how
to spell the same words over and over and over and over. I’m dyslexic, so
spelling is a bit of a mystery to me. There are some words I can’t get close
enough for SpellChecker to even have a guess at what I’m trying to spell. “No
Spelling Suggestion.” Grrr. So I pull out my trusty thesaurus, look up a
synonym that I do know how to spell, and in its synonyms is the word I want.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
Read. Read. READ. Write. Write. WRITE.
Read in the genre you want to write. Read in other genres as
well. Read books on the craft of writing.
Write every day even for just a few minutes (or most every
day). You can’t get better if you don’t write consistently. Give yourself
permission to write badly—really badly. You can fix it when you go back and
edit. But you can’t fix what’s not on the page.
Very good advice,
especially the last sentence. Tell us about the featured book.
HEARTBEATS IN TIME is
a set of 5 historical books of Old West Christian Romance (4 novels and 4
novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors. I’m proud to be in a set
with these awesome authors! (Buy link: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI)
THE NOVELS:
The Widow’s Plight
(Book 1 in the Quilting Circle
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into
the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last
Chance, California
A young woman on her own after the death of her father,
tries to run the family ranch while solving the mystery of sabotage--can a
wandering cowboy with a young son help solve her problems and possibly bring
love into her life?
Dreams of My Heart
by Barbara Scott
Can a reluctant bride and her new husband fall in love
despite their wounded hearts?
Hills of Nevermore
by Janalyn Voigt
Can a young widow hide her secret shame from the Irish
preacher bent on helping her survive? Based on actual historical events during
a time of unrest, Hills of Nevermore
explores faith, love, and courage in the Wild West.
THE NOVELLAS:
Heart of a Cowboy Novella
Collection--four Old West romances
“Hearts in Pursuit” by Susan Page Davis
~Can Abby and Sam fight their way through danger and
violence and live long enough to find love?
“Hearts Reunited” by Miralee Ferrell
~Taylor
“Have Dress, Will Marry” by Yvonne Lehman
~Julie Hayes must escape from Wildcat Mountain
“The Hand-Me-Down Husband” by Vickie McDonough
~Ellen didn’t want a hand-me-down husband, but could their
marriage be God’s will for them both?
I love reading books
by all these authors.Please give us the first page of the book.
The Widow’s Plight,
Central Washington State1893
Lily Lexington Bremmer would never let anyone hurt her son
again. She stared at the fading green and yellow bruises on her five-year-old
son’s neck and pictured the others on his small body. As he lay with his head
in her lap, the train rocked back and forth, his arm wrapped around the little
toy train engine she’d bought him at one of the stops. It was carved of wood
and painted. He didn’t play with it, merely held it in the crook of his arm.
She combed her fingers through his nearly black soft curls.
Her poor son hadn’t had toys to play with. But now things were different. The
toy train would be the first of many.
The train they rode rattled along the track. The Pullman passenger car held nearly thirty people in the
twenty seats. Most of the passengers hadn’t taken notice of her or her son.
People had come and gone, come and gone over the week-long trip. She was ready
to leave this train for good, stretch her legs, breathe fresh air, and wash off
the soot and dirt of the journey.
She had moved near the front of the car when a seat had
opened up. She didn’t know why, but she felt safer there. Closer to the door.
Closer to an escape.
The well-groomed man across the aisle in a charcoal-gray
business suit tossed glances her direction every few minutes. His attention
heightened the nervousness of her already jittery insides. Was he interested in
her? Or was he trying to puzzle out how a fair-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed
woman could have a son with olive skin, dark hair, and rich brown eyes? No
matter their contrasting appearances, he was her son.
The train’s steam whistle blew long and loud. Then the
conductor strolled through the car. “Next stop Kamola.”
Leaning down to where her narrow-brimmed straw hat rested
against the wall under the window, she retrieved it and pulled out the two
adorned hatpins. She secured the hat onto her head as the train rolled into the
station and shuddered to a stop.
Lily had run almost as far from her past as she could
physically get. Clear across the country.
Toby would be safe here.
I’m eager to read the
rest of the book. How can readers find you on the Internet?
Thank you, Mary, for
sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I know they will enjoy all
of the stories by these wonderful authors.
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