WILD WEST CHRISTMAS - Kathleen Y'Barbo, Lena Nelson Dooley, Darlene Franklin, Vickie McDonough - Free Books

I've really been looking forward to featuring this book. It's my first whole story set in Texas where I live and I was really blessed by the team I worked with. Welcome, Kathleen. How did your story for the collection come about?

When we began planning the novella, I was fascinated with the characters the other ladies were crafting. The sisters were women of such strength, and they seemed to be naturally good at things they loved to do. So what, I wondered, would it be like to be that one sister who never really knew what that self-assured confidence was like. Worse, what if a childish playground taunt had followed you into adulthood and made you absolutely certain you were truly “Bessie Mae, plain as day?” And what if the boy who thought up that taunt returns to town as a full grown Texas Ranger and is struck speechless by a Bess he doesn’t even recognize?

And that really worked well in the book. What are you reading right now?

I’m reading Swinging On a Star by Janice Thompson for endorsement. I am absolutely in LOVE with this book. Here’s the story line: Bella Rossi's life is nearing perfection. She's got the perfect guy, she's running a successful business, and she's about to plan her most ambitious wedding yet, a Renaissance-themed fairy tale come true, complete with period costumes and foods, horse-drawn carriages, and even a castle. There's just one hitch. The best man just happens to be Brock Benson, Hollywood's hottest and most eligible bachelor. Oh, and did we mention he's staying at the Rossi house to avoid the paparazzi?

With all the pressure surrounding this wedding, Bella's not sure she's going to make it through. Add her starstruck sister, her feuding aunt and uncle, and a trio of large, sequined church ladies with even bigger personalities, and you've got a recipe for disaster--and a lot of laughs. This hilarious romantic comedy is sure to delight both fans and new readers alike.

I can hardly wait to read it. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I’ve written more than three dozen historical and contemporary romances as well as two nonfiction books on empty nest and divorce.

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

These ladies were great! We worked hard to create a setting and a group of characters that remained consistent in each story. That’s tough, but worth it!

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

I am always thrilled to work with talented writers. Lena, Vickie, and Darlene certainly fit in that category. Their writing inspired me to do my best.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I chose Bess’s name because it fit in the rhyme I envisioned for the back story. Joe, the hero, had to have a name that fit the German ancestry of the area. Since my maiden name is Miller, I decided on Mueller for the last name then Josef came next.

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

That even the ugly duckling can become a beautiful swan. It is all about Who you listen to.

Are you a member of American Christian Fiction Writers? If so, why?

Yes, I was in on ACFW from the beginning. My membership number is 8!

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

Writers write! Works every time.

Now it's my time to answer the questions. How did your story for the collection come about?

I can’t remember who came up with the idea for our story, but I know that we all wanted to write about cowgirls. When we created the family, I chose the youngest in the family and made her a paradox—a complete tomboy, but at the same time very feminine. My hero had to be from back East and couldn’t understand her tomboy ways. Great conflict there.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading a novel by one of my favorite authors for endorsement (while getting ready for back-to-back conferences).

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

I only have one book that hasn’t been published, my second one. But I’ve been published two dozen times. Check the books out at: http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/

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

Making sure that the details that appear in all four stories match. For more than one novella, I’ve taken the input from the other authors and drawn a map of the town. I did for Horsefly, Texas, which we all used. Before we finished writing the collection, I had also drawn a map of the ranch and a houseplan for the ranch house.

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

I love all three of these women, so working with them was a pure pleasure. For a historical wild-west story, they’re the dream team.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I needed a specific kind of name for the heroine, and I found just the right one to fit the situation, and the heroes name needed to be stuffy sounding.

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

Don’t judge people from outward appearances. Do like God does, look at their hearts.

Are you a member of American Christian Fiction Writers? If so, why?

Yes. My membership number is 42, so I joined within three months of the beginning. I love this organization for all the ways it helps authors, both published and pre-published. And I’m looking forward to seeing my many special friends at the national conference in Denver next week.

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

Spend time with the Lord, then write with your heart.

Now I'm welcoming Darlene Franklin. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Most of my characters include a bit of myself, but none of them are autobiographical in the least.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I don’t see myself as quirky; of course not, I’m perfectly normal! Let’s see. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 23. That was weird, because in America a driver’s license is the closest thing we have as a rite of passage to adulthood.
During those college years, and in fact until I married and drove my husband’s car, I went everywhere by bus. My parents lived in Maine and I went to graduate school in Texas. I traveled by bus from Mexico City (where I spent the summer) to Maine; from Florida to Texas; and so on. Great memories.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

Does it count that I saved the first story I ever wrote when I was in second grade? Like many writers, I have written all my life. A girlfriend and I swapped letters with a continuing story about Star Trek (classic Star Trek, I’m dating myself.) I even wrote society news for a small town newspaper when my son was small. But I date the true beginning of my writing career from the days after my divorce. I poured out my heart on paper, and I couldn’t stop writing after that.

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

I read more mysteries than anything else. All kinds—suspense, cozy, private eye, thrillers. I have to force myself to read other things. I also read quite a bit of romance, a bit of historical and Christian nonfiction, memoirs.

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

My first book came out of the pain of my divorce and healing from abuse, God’s Broken Heart. After that, I dived into fiction, developing one of my childhood stories—Strong Medicine, about a female medical student in 1876 Denver.

My first published book, Romanian Rhapsody, came next. (It wasn’t published for years after I wrote it, however.) I wrote a sequel, Plain Song. Then I wrote my two favorite unpublished books: Calm Before the Storm, romantic suspense about a male amnesia victim and the doctor who is trying to help him. And Night Burning, a novel about two brothers who took opposite sides during the Montgomery bus boycott, and the woman they both love. I've been part of several Christmas novellas published by Barbour.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Sane? Who’s sane? (Can one be quirky and sane at the same time?)
When things get too busy, I freak out, I confess. Sometimes all I need to do is to have a quiet praise time, humming worship songs to myself. That often jolts me out of focusing on my problems and on Almighty God. I may choose to stay home when I’m supposed to be somewhere else (church, writers group). I make sure I get 8-9 hours of sleep a night. And I keep my commitments to a minimum.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I didn’t think a lot about choosing names when I wrote my first (published) book, Romanian Rhapsody. But since then I discovered a tendency to give all my characters very British sounding names. So I make myself look elsewhere. I may look at the immigrants who first settled that portion of the country. Or if I find a first name that I like (Blaine), I’ll choose a last name that shares the same ethnicity (Irish: Kelvern).

One of the more unusual techniques I’ve tried is using the letters on license plates as my characters initials. “NC” became Nathan Currier; “FM,” Ford Murdoch. Play around with them; FO can migrate into Franz Orbach, Fernando Olivarez, Finola O’Sullivan or Felicity Owen.
I keep an alphabet list to avoid giving characters the same initial.

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

The simplest is the best. Read, read, read and write, write, write. Simply writing every day improves your writing, especially when you start studying the craft and join a critique group.

Now we're welcoming Vickie McDonough.

How did your story for the collection come about?

I’ve had my story sitting on the burner for a while, and this collection was the perfect fit for it. It’s the story of a young woman who is only good a training horses. She finds her world tilting when her father hires a half-breed to replace her.

What are you reading right now?

The Blue Enchantress By M.L. Tyndall

I love that book. What other books have you written, whether published or not?

I’ve written 8 Heartsong novels and 8 novella collections. If you’d like more info about my books, please visit my website: http://www.vickiemcdonough.com/

Also coming out this fall is a Christmas novella collection called A Blue and Gray Christmas, which is has a Civil War setting.

Next April, my first long fiction book called The Anonymous Bride will be release.

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

Some collections are fairly easy because the stories aren’t tied together other than the theme. Ones like Wild West Christmas are much harder. You have to make sure the ranch house, ranch setting, and town setting stays the same in all four stories, as well as the looks and personalities of the characters. Each author reads the other stories to make sure everything is accurate.

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

I got to take a trip to Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country to do some research. My husband and I had a good time seeing the sights and doing research. I also got to work with a fabulous team of authors. That was fun.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

It varies. I look at their ethnicity sometimes, which is what I did for Carson Romero. Carson reflects in mother’s Scottish heritage while Romero shows his father’s Mexican heritage.

Sometimes, the location plays a factor. Where my character grew up is also an important factor. Sometimes I just research an online Baby Name’s sight and search until I find a name that seems to fit the character.

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

Sometimes God has different and better plans for our lives than we can believe is possible.

Are you a member of American Christian Fiction Writers? If so, why?

Yes! Because it’s the greatest fiction writers group in the world!

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

My agent, Chip MacGregor, once said in a conference, that all writers need a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas. Within our circle of writer friends we each need someone to encourage us who’s further along than us, a peer who is on a similar level, and we need to be helping someone who isn’t as far along as we are.

Thank you, teammates, for allowing readers to have a peek inside your world.

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