TWO BRIDES TOO MANY - Mona Hodgson - Free Book

Welcome, Mona. I'm so glad this book is now in bookstores everywhere. Why do you write the kind of books you do?


I write children’s books because the exercise prompts me to think like a child with curiosity and wonder while sharing truth with ages two to twelve.

I write novels because of my love and respect for story and the women I write them for. And the historical fiction gives me an excuse to visit museums and other times and places.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

The day our daughter Sara was released from the neo-natal preemie unit.

I can only imagine. How has being published changed your life?

I think the biggest change has come as part of the process of getting and being published. The people who have mentored me and the people I have mentored along the way have impacted me greatly on many levels—writing, personal, and spiritual.

What are you reading right now?

The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley.

What is your current work in progress?

Beyond a Bride, Book Three in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series. The youngest of four sisters travels from Portland, Maine to Cripple Creek, Colorado for a fresh start that seems to have more twists and turns than the train she rides west on.

Too Rich for a Bride, Book Two, is in production and will be available in Walmart stores October 2010.

What would be your dream vacation?

A month in a beach house within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I live in the southwestern United States and its history fascinates me, especially the late 1800’s when so many women found themselves displaced and called upon to do hard things.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Maya Angelou. I’m drawn to her poet-spirit and her heart for all peoples.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I enjoy traveling, snorkeling, and playing table games.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Sandwich generation responsibilities that are requiring more and more of my time and energy. I’m learning to maximize bits and pieces of time for writing. Figuring out what energizes me so I can refuel for those bits and pieces of time.

That's a difficult time in all of our lives. What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Recognize and remember that writing for publication is a process and a journey that requires intentional and persistent steps. Expect detours. Enjoy the adventure! Make the most of writers’ conferences, writers’ market guides, and critiques by published writers.

Tell us about the featured book.

Two sisters.


Two missing misters.

Kat and Nell Sinclair are headed west—away from the manicured lawns of Maine to the boisterous, booming mining town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, to start new lives for themselves as mail-order brides.

Aboard the train, romantic dreamer Nell carries a photo of her intended close to her heart and imagines an exciting and love-filled future, while her pragmatic older sister, Kat, resigns herself to marriage as a duty, not a delight.

But when the ladies disembark at the train depot, neither fiance’ awaits them with open arms. The well-bred Sinclair sisters find themselves alone in the wild, frontier town—a place where fire threatens to reduce the buildings to rubble, the working women strut the streets, rogues will gamble for the shoes on one’s feet, and God’s grace is found among the most unlikely of folks.

Please give us the first page of the book.

1895, Portland, Maine
“I have you cornered.”

Kat looked up from the writing desk to the table, where Nell was grinning. Nell’s match with Ida had been particularly animated on this Sunday afternoon. Both were fiercely competitive, and Kat knew better than to challenge either one of them at checkers, or most any game.

Ida perched on a cushioned chair, face to face with Nell. The oldest of the four Sinclair sisters wasn’t accustomed to losing, and it showed in Ida’s furrowed brow. She stared at the board, but the pattern of the red and flack disks didn’t change. When she finally made a move, Nell snatched the red game piece off the board, her blue eyes sparkling.

“That’s five out of seven, Ida.” Vivian, the youngest at sixteen, called the tournament from the sofa where she lounged with Sassy, her Siamese cat.

“You’ve been dethroned, sis.” Kat closed her journal. “We have a new Sinclair Checkers Champion.”

While Ida lifted an imaginary crown off her head, Nell stood and smoothed her skirt. Ida placed the invisible trophy atop Nell’s wheat-blond twist. “I present the new queen of checkers.” Ida bowed. All four of the sisters giggled.

Kat picked up her journal and walked to the window. Fabric ties held tartan curtains open, framing the idyllic outdoor scene. Crimson and golden leaves adorned the maples and oaks outside, and a couple of squirrels frolicked while a handful of leaves twisted and twirled above them like autumn acrobats.

Acrobats in fall colors

Twist and twirl . . .

Kat hurried back to the writing desk and recorded the words in her journal, her pencil flying over the page. Sunday was the most inspiring day of the week. The Sabbath’s time of rest and reflection always left her refreshed and full of new ideas.

Nell cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose you’re writing about my victory for the Portland Press Herald.”

“A recounting of your conquest, as great as it was, isn’t Kat’s cup of tea.” Vivian laughed. The name Sassy fit Vivian as well as it did her cat.

“Now if Nell were the writer in the family, we’d all be reading a most romantic love story,” Ida said, returning the checkerboard to the bookcase.

“I believe in love.” Nell shrugged. “Is that so bad?”

“Believing in love is not at all bad, Poppet.” Father’s warm voice drew their attention to the doorway. He wore a herringbone suit, his auburn mustache and beard neatly trimmed. He leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

“We have a new checkers champion, Father.” Nell raised her hands to her head and formed a crown. “Me.”

“And such a humble winner.” A weak smile turned up one side of Father’s mouth, and an uneasiness began to niggle Kat’s stomach. Something wasn’t right.

You can read the first chapter at http://www.monahodgson.com/ . Go to Mona’s Novels page and click on Sneak Peek.
What are some ways that readers of your books can help you as an author?

Besides buying copies for everyone they know? LOL

• If you’ve read one of my books and liked it, please mention the book on Twitter or Facebook, on your blog, or in gatherings with people you think might enjoy it.

• Write book reviews for Amazon.com, BN.com, Christianbook.com, and other online bookstores.

• Are you in a book club, or know anyone who is? Please tell them about Two Brides Too Many and let them know that Book Club Discussion Questions are available at my website: http://www.monahodgson.com/ .

• Visit your favorite bookstore, if you don’t find Two Brides Too Many, please tell the owner/manager about the book and encourage them to carry it in their store.

• Write a book review for your local newspaper, church newsletter, denominational magazine, or for other appropriate magazines. Online too.
How can readers find you on the Internet?

Visit my website at http://www.monahodgson.com/
Join me on Facebook at Mona Hodgson Fan
Follow me on Twitter at MonaHodgson
Email me at mona@monahodgson.com  with Quarterly E-newsletter in the subject line to receive quarterly updates and behind-the-scenes news.

Thank you, Mona, for visiting with us again.

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TWO BRIDES TOO MANY - Mona Hodgson - Free Book

I'm thrilled to be featuring Mona right now. Her historical novel will release in Walmart in October. I was privileged to read it for endorsement. You will love this story. Welcome, Mona. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Oh. I think I give away pieces of myself to each character—male or female, young or old. Mostly, an intuitive act in the process. Personality traits. Experiences. Interests. Frustrations and joys. Struggles and triumphs. Family and relationship dynamics. Certainly, lessons being learned on my spiritual journey.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Well, I’ve ridden a camel, fed a giraffe food from between my lips, and I petted a crocodile. I went for a helicopter ride for my 50th and a flight over Sedona in a bi-plane for my 55th.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I accepted the possibility in November 1987 when I received an envelope from The Secret Place (a quarterly devotional publication) the day before Thanksgiving. Inside, my first rejection letters along with my first acceptances.

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

Children’s books are a big favorite—picture books, poetry, and middle grade fiction, mostly. Novels for adults—historical (mostly 1700s and 1800s) and contemporary, romance, mysteries, and westerns. A good story for any age pulls me in.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I’ve had 28 children’s books published, including Real Girls of the Bible: A Devotional (Zonderkidz), Bedtime in the Southwest (Rising Moon Books), and The Princess Twins Series (Zonderkidz I Can Read).

I’m currently writing Too Rich for a Bride, Book Two in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek Series.

I can hardly wait for that one. Please contact me, so we can feature it near its release, too. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Bubble baths and smacking the ball in a heated match on the Wii tennis game.

I've done Wii bowling, but I haven't tried tennis. We don't have the game at our house. How do you choose your characters’ names?

Usually from a list of names I’ve collected. Those names can come from badges on waitress or store clerks. They can be the names of newscasters or musicians. Sometimes I use the names of people I know or names from my family history. In other cases, I look at lists of names from particular time periods or countries.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Professionally? The writing of this book—Too Rich for a Bride. It is my first completed novel, and I wrote it from concept to draft, including the research.

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

A roadrunner. I tend to move too fast at times. I’m a wistful wanderer every chance I get. And I’m a curious explorer, keeping an eye out for the next lizard . . . i.e. story to chew on.

What is your favorite food?

A carne asada taco with avocado, lime, and cilantro in a fresh corn tortilla. Or a spinach enchilada with green sauce.

Yum. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Perfectionism. Fear of not getting it right. Having a two-month deadline and a two-book contract worked wonders.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Remember that writing, being a writer, and publishing is a process, and persevere.

Yes, it's all about the process. Tell us about the featured book?

Two sisters arrive in an 1896 mining camp expecting marriage, but finding love.

Cripple Creek is a booming gold mining town nestled in a saddle valley near the base of Pike's Peak on the front range of Colorado. At an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet and just below timberline, the city’s history is one of ups and downs with fires, disease, and labor wars. Two Brides Too Many is the 1896 story of Kat Sinclair and Nell Sinclair, two of four sisters who make their way to Cripple Creek from Maine to find love and God’s design for their lives.

Please give us the first page of the book.

1895, Portland, Maine

“I have you cornered.”

Kat looked up from the writing desk to the table, where Nell was grinning. Nell’s match with Ida had been particularly animated on this Sunday afternoon. Both were fiercely competitive, and Kat knew better than to challenge either one of them at checkers, or most any game.

Ida perched on a cushioned chair, face to face with Nell. The oldest of the four Sinclair sisters wasn’t accustomed to losing, and it showed in Ida’s furrowed brow. She stared at the board, but the pattern of the red and black disks didn’t change. When she finally made a move, Nell snatched the red game piece off the board, her blue eyes sparkling.

“That’s five out of seven, Ida.” Vivian, the youngest at sixteen, called the tournament from the sofa where she lounged with Sassy, her Siamese cat.

“You’ve been dethroned, sis.” Kat closed her journal. “We have a new Sinclair Checkers Champion.”

While Ida lifted an imaginary crown off her head, Nell stood and smoothed her skirt. Ida placed the invisible trophy atop Nell’s wheat-blond twist. “I present the new queen of checkers.” Ida bowed. All four of the sisters giggled.

Kat picked up her journal and walked to the window. Fabric ties held tartan curtains open, framing the idyllic outdoor scene. Crimson and golden leaves adorned the maples and oaks outside, and a couple of squirrels frolicked while a handful of leaves twisted and twirled above them like autumn acrobats.

Acrobats in fall colors

Twist and twirl . . .

Kat hurried back to the writing desk and recorded the words in her journal, her pencil flying over the page. Sunday was the most inspiring day of the week. The Sabbath’s time of rest and reflection always left her refreshed and full of new ideas.

Nell cleared her throat. “I don’t suppose you’re writing about my victory for the Portland Press Herald.”

“A recounting of your conquest, as great as it was, isn’t Kat’s cup of tea.” Vivian laughed. The name Sassy fit Vivian as well as it did her cat.

“Now if Nell were the writer in the family, we’d all be reading a most romantic love story,” Ida said, returning the checkerboard to the bookcase.

“I believe in love.” Nell shrugged. “Is that so bad?”

“Believing in love is not at all bad, Poppet.” Father’s warm voice drew their attention to the doorway. He wore a herringbone suit, his auburn mustache and beard neatly trimmed. He leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

“We have a new checkers champion, Father.” Nell raised her hands to her head and formed a crown. “Me.”

“And such a humble winner.” A weak smile turned up one side of Father’s mouth, and an uneasiness began to niggle Kat’s stomach. Something wasn’t right.

I hope that hooked other readers as it did me the first time I read the words. How can readers find you on the Internet?

http://www.monahodgson.com/
www.twitter.com/monahodgson
www.facebook.com/mona.hodgson
www.plaxo.com/monahodgson
www.linkedin.com/monahodgson

To receive my quarterly e-update, email me at mona@monahodgson.com with Mona’s Update in the subject line.

Mona, thank you for spending this time with us.

Readers, check in your local Walmart in October to get a copy of this book